Russian-born mathematician Alex Gerko founded London-based XTX Markets in 2015, a quantitative trading firm that now executes around US$250 billion in transactions daily, trading over 50,000 financial instruments using AI and machine learning. The company recorded its strongest year on record in 2024, generating a profit pool of £1.28 billion (US$1.7 billion), with Gerko receiving roughly £682.5 million. Gerko, 46, owns roughly 75% of XTX, giving him an estimated net worth of $11.8 billion as of June 26, according to Forbes. He paid £331.4 million in taxes last year, making him the UK's second-largest taxpayer. XTX employs about 250 people across London, Paris, Singapore and New York, and its system is powered by 25,000 graphics processing units. Gerko earned a PhD in mathematics from Moscow State University, joined Deutsche Bank in 2004, relocated to London in 2006, and launched XTX Markets in 2015 as a spinout from British hedge fund GSA Capital.